


Take Away

by bottledspirits



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-14
Updated: 2013-08-14
Packaged: 2017-12-23 10:46:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/925458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bottledspirits/pseuds/bottledspirits
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sad day in the rain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Away

**Author's Note:**

> This story was only 1500 words, but that didn’t last. Part of the 50 First Hamburger Dates challenge.

He waited all afternoon, but she didn’t come.

The other diners cast him furtive looks as he sat alone in the booth. Rumplestiltskin stared into his coffee without really seeing it. He tried to ignore the passage of time, tried to tell himself she was only a little late and would soon come through the door.

He took a drink of his near-empty cup – his fifth, in fact – and used the movement as an excuse to glance at the door. There was no one on the other side of the glass. It was overcast and gray outside, and he had a feeling the weather was going to turn.

A sudden twinge of bitterness went through him. Rumplestiltskin drained his cup in one go and set it down on the table with more force than it deserved. The sound rang out through the diner.  Everything went quiet as the other diners paused in their chatter to stare at him. Rumplestiltskin ignored them.

Granny approached with a pot of coffee and refilled his cup.

“Are you going to order anything, or are you just going to loiter all evening?” she asked as she poured. Her eyes were on the cup, but he felt her scrutiny.

He didn’t take comments like that normally, not without dealing a good quip in return. But Belle liked this woman. She liked this place, and she wanted to get along in this town. For her sake, he would try.

“I’m waiting for someone,” Rumplestiltskin said tersely.

“For three hours,” Granny said. It was a simple statement, but she made it sound like a question and an accusation all in one.

“That’s right,” Rumplestiltskin replied lightly.

“Looks like they stood you up,” she said tartly.

It was like a dagger to the heart. Rumplestiltskin said nothing, choosing instead to stare at the lamp overhead.

Granny stood up and put one hand on her hip, looking down on him with suspicion.

“And might I inquire as to the nature of this meeting of yours?” the old woman asked, beady eyes fixed on him like those of a predator. There was still a bit of the wolf in her, even if she’d lost her fangs.

“Whatever do you mean?” Rumplestiltskin asked.

The woman pursed her lips, clearly suspecting him of something sinister.

“I mean you better not be using my diner to set up any of your underhanded deals, if you know what’s good for you,” Granny barked, her voice loud enough for the other patrons to hear.

Rumplestiltskin sighed. He couldn’t take one step in this town without someone accusing him of dark dealings.

“I have no such intention,” he said.

He cast a glance at the clock on the wall behind the woman and felt his stomach drop when he saw the time. She wasn’t coming. He could stare out that window for as long he liked, but she wasn’t coming.

Rumplestiltskin stood up.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he said, pulling a bill from his wallet as Granny looked on with muted surprise. Whatever she’d been expecting him to do when he walked in, he evidently hadn’t done it.

He left the bill on the table and made his way to the door. No one spoke to him as he did. He felt their eyes, however, and was all the more conscious of his cane. In that moment, he hated his leg, he hated this town, and he hated himself most of all.

The weather had grown worse since he’d last looked at the sky. If a few raindrops fell on his face as he walked back to his shop, he did not notice them.

~

It was nearly eleven when the storm reached its peak. Rumplestiltskin was still at the shop, absorbed in a mindless task he’d thrown himself into after returning from the diner. The radio played on the table beside him. It was as good a way as any to fill the silence as he worked, though the sound faded in and out. No doubt the storm was interrupting the signal.

The library had been locked tight when he’d passed. Usually one could see a light peeking through the boards on the window, but there was none tonight. Wherever she was, she didn’t want him to know.

Rumplestiltskin knit his brow and pressed his thoughts to his work. As he did, the radio faded out yet again, with a good deal of static this time. He turned to look at it, waiting for the sound to flicker back in, but nothing happened. With a sigh he set down his tools and reached for the knob to turn the accursed thing off.

It was good that he did, or he might not have heard the knock at the front door of the shop. The sound barely carried over the wind and rain raging outside. Rumplestiltskin looked up. He didn’t know who could be calling at this time of night, but they had not found him in a good mood. Whatever they wanted, they’d pay an exorbitant price for it.

He stood up and stretched his leg, wincing. At times like these he felt his age more than ever. He took up his cane and began to limp toward the front of the shop.

The knocking came again, more urgent this time. Whoever it was, they were practically rattling the glass.

“I’m coming!” Rumplestiltskin called, cursing his late night visitor. No one seemed to realize how much effort it took him to get around.

He reached the curtain that divided the shop and threw it aside, pausing to maneuver his cane through the doorway. The storm was howling outside; he could hear the rain pelting the window. He looked up to see who was darkening his doorstep at this hour.

When he saw the huddled creature on the other side of the glass, however, his heart nearly froze.

Belle looked worse for wear, evidently having walked through the storm to get here. Her hair was a wind-swept mess and her clothes positively clung to her frame. She was not wearing her coat, but seemed to have it bundled to her chest, for whatever reason.

None of that mattered to Rumplestiltskin, though. To him, she was a beauty to behold. More importantly, she was  _here_.

He hobbled to the door as fast as his leg could carry him and unlocked the door, fumbling in his hurry. His eyes met hers through the glass. There was something in her expression that made him nervous.

“Belle!” Rumplestiltskin said, getting the door open at last and stumbling toward her. “What are you doing here? You’re soaked through!”

Rumplestiltskin reached forward to usher her inside, but she held back.

“I’m so sorry, Rumple,” Belle murmured. He could barely make out her voice over the driving wind. She was looking at him with such anguish in her eyes that he felt his heart might stop.

He hadn’t the slightest idea why she should be apologizing – their missed date had entirely slipped his mind – and he frowned at her. Why she would come to him so late, in such distress, to beg forgiveness was a mystery to him. He reached for her again, managing to take her elbow, but she would not budge.

“The lights went out at the library – something to do with the wiring, I didn’t understand all they told me – and when I went to get someone to look at it I forgot my key, and there isn’t a spare, so I had to go all the way to city hall to request a new key, and there was all sorts of paperwork–” Belle was babbling.

“Never mind that, love. We need to get you out of the rain,” Rumplestiltskin said urgently. He put a hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her inside.

“But I missed our date,” Belle said softly.

At the reminder, Rumplestiltskin paused briefly. Their eyes met again. He remembered the way he’d felt in the diner, sitting alone in that booth for hours as the bitterness grew in him. But that seemed unimportant now, with his True Love staring at him. He ducked his head and moved to lead her through the shop.

“It doesn’t matter now,” Rumplestiltskin assured her, his voice filled with unexpected warmth.

“But Granny said you waited for hours!” Belle protested.

Rumplestiltskin stumbled slightly. He felt a blush creep over his features.

“D-did she?” he asked lightly, not turning to look at her.

“And you didn’t say a word to anyone while you were there,” Belle continued.

An agonizing moment passed in which he could not think what to say. They had stopped before the curtain, and somewhere in crossing the room her hand had found its way into his. Rumplestiltskin cleared his throat and stood up straight before he turned to look at her.

“Well, none of them were you,” he said, his voice low.

Belle smiled at him. He felt her fingers tighten around his.

“Maybe we can try again?” she offered. A hesitant smile flickered into being on his face.

“Of course,” he said.

They stood for a moment, watching each other and smiling. Then Belle shivered. Rumplestiltskin’s smile faded, and he gripped her hand tighter as he pulled her forward.

“But first, a cup of tea and some dry clothes, don’t you think?” he asked sternly.

Belle nodded.

He led her into the back, releasing her hand to get the kettle. Belle went to the rack of clothes he kept in the shop. He busied himself with gathering the tea things before turning to see Belle holding a burgundy dress to herself. He turned around abruptly and side-stepped around the room to avoid looking at her as he approached the sink.

“You really have excellent taste in dresses,” Belle commented.

Gold coughed. Suddenly there was a tell-tale sound of moving fabric that warned him it was definitely not safe to turn around. He filled the kettle with care, focusing all of his attention on the task.

“Thank you. But you’re much better at wearing them,” he replied.

He heard her laugh at that. It brought the hint of a smile to his face, for all that he was still hunched over the sink in his shop as the girl he loved disrobed behind him.

“You can look,” Belle called.

Rumplestiltskin turned around entirely too quickly than was proper, but he put it down to nerves. Belle did not seem to mind. She saw him looking and did a little curtsy, showing off the dress she’d chosen. The dark red made her skin practically glow, and her damp curls shone against the fabric.

“Beautiful,” he said, smiling.

Belle blushed and ducked her head. The movement drew his eyes to her hair, still as soaked as her clothes had been, and he felt a rush of guilt.

“I’ll get you a towel,” he said quickly, setting down the kettle in order to hunt about the room for a clean piece of cloth.

“There’s no need–” Belle began to assure him, but he’d already found a plain cotton towel and interrupted her by presenting it to her. Belle took it and smiled. He could be so endearingly eager-to-please.

“Thank you,” she said, amused by the way his whole face lit up.

She sat down to dry her hair as he continued with making the tea. He was facing away from her, but they shared a companionable silence as he shuffled things about and she examined the various tools on the table.

“Not that I mind seeing you, but you didn’t need to come all the way here in a storm, Belle. You could have called,” Rumplestiltskin’s voice was as close to reproachful as it ever got with her as he took down two cups for them to use.

“Oh, I…” Belle trailed off, and it was clear by the look on her face that she’d just thought of it. “I suppose I could have, couldn’t I?”

She looked down at her hands, embarrassed, though she was smiling. Rumplestiltskin paused in the tea preparation to look at her.

“You should get a cell phone. They’re very useful. I can help you, if you’d like,” he said, the last part being addressed to his hands as a sudden nervousness overcame him.

Belle’s head snapped up. Her eyes were alight with curiosity.

“Really? You mean those little things with the buttons and the glass?” she asked. She rounded out the description by holding up her hands in an approximation of the average size of a cell phone, at least the ones she’d probably seen.

He chuckled at that.

“Yes,” Rumplestiltskin said, turning back to the tea. He counted two lumps of sugar into her cup.

“I’d like to know how they work,” Belle said as he approached, holding the cup out to her.

“I’ll do my best to explain it, but I’m no expert,” Rumplestiltskin admitted as he sat down with his cup. Belle had the only chair, so he made do with the stool he used for his spinning wheel. It was not uncomfortable, and he felt a vague kind of nostalgia wash over him as he looked up at her.

With an impish grin, he took a sip from his tea and added, “My knowledge is strictly limited to magic and its uses.”

Belle laughed at that, as only she could, and when she looked at him, her eyes were full of amusement.

“Well, I suppose one person can’t do everything,” she teased, leaning forward so that her elbows rested on her knees.

He grinned at her indirect praise, feeling as giddy as any love-struck youth.

The moment was interrupted, however, by the rumbling of Rumplestiltskin’s stomach. He froze, suddenly remembering that he had not eaten anything since that morning, having gone straight to work after leaving the diner.

Belle only looked at him curiously.

“Granny said you didn’t order anything. Didn’t you eat after you left?” she asked. There was something in her voice that warned him a scolding was not far off.

“No. I guess not,” Rumplestiltskin confessed.

His eyes were fixed on the floor. When he looked up at her, he was surprised to find Belle smiling at him.

“I thought not,” she said with a hint of triumph.

He frowned at her, his brow knit with confusion, but before he could say anything she stood and set her cup on the table. She went to a long table by the clothes rack, where she’d laid her clothes to dry. Also on the table were two white boxes he did not remember seeing before. Belle picked them up and carried them to his work table, where he sat watching.

“What’s this?” he asked as she handed him one of the boxes. Belle sat down before answering.

“I had Granny make these to go. I wrapped them in my coat to keep warm. I thought you wouldn’t eat anything if you were working,” she said, casting a knowing look his way as she opened her box.

Rumplestiltskin was struck speechless. He opened the box and found it contained one of Granny’s hamburgers, as well as a heaping portion of fries. He stared at them for a moment before looking at Belle. She was taking her first hesitant bite and bore a curious expression.

“You didn’t have to do this,” he said softly.

Belle glanced at him, raising an eyebrow as she chewed. She did not speak for a moment. He realized she was savoring the taste, if the curious look on her face was anything to judge by.

Finally, she set her burger down and looked at him.

“I was promised a date, and a date I shall have,” Belle said with as much affected arrogance as she dared. The effect was somewhat spoiled when she grinned at him and said, “Besides, I’ve never had the chance to order to go before.”

Her smile warmed him. He looked away shyly to examine his food. There was nothing he could think to say, so he did not. Eventually he picked up a fry and took a bite, and Belle followed suit.

Belle looked around the work room as she ate. Her eyes darted curiously from one corner to the other. Rumplestiltskin’s gaze followed hers, though he was more interested in her reaction than whatever she might be looking at.

She surprised him by suddenly saying, “It’s a bit like the Dark Castle, isn’t it?”

He blinked at her.

“How do you mean?” he asked, struggling to swallow the bite of potato that had caught in his throat at her sudden question.

Belle gave a toss of her shoulders.

“Oh, it’s just…all the things. They all look as if they have a history,” she remarked.

He was silent as she continued to look around.

Suddenly, she looked at him and smiled.

“I like it,” Belle said decidedly.

Rumplestiltskin gaped. This time the dry feeling in his throat had nothing to do with his food. He set his burger down and looked at her seriously, a hunted look in his eyes.

“Belle,” he said. “I never…I never…”

He trailed off. He could not make the words come out. Belle frowned at his distress and leaned forward to touch his hand.

“What is it? You can tell me anything,” she assured him.

Rumplestiltskin looked at her wonderingly. She never ceased to amaze him, but surely no one could always be so patient? Surely one day she would discover something about him that even she could not accept, and he would not be able to stop her leaving him again.

And that was the crux of it. He could not stop her. And if he could not keep her forever, he had to make the most of the moments he had with her now.

He reached out and took her hand in both of his, gently clasping her fingers.

“I never told you…how sorry I was that I took you away from your home. From everything you loved,” Rumplestiltskin said, and there was a great sadness in his voice. He could not bring himself to look at her.

“Oh, Rumple…”

He did not look up, though he heard the creak of the chair as she leaned forward and brushed her fingers across the back of his hand.

“I told you, you didn’t take me away. I chose to leave,” she insisted. There was nothing false in her tone. Still, he could not look at her, and merely continued to hold her hand in his.

“Besides, you didn’t take me away from everything I loved. I found you, didn’t I?” Belle whispered, leaning so close that he could feel her breath on his temple.

He did look up at her then. There was an expression of such love and devotion in his eyes, the likes of which no one else in Storybrooke had ever seen. Belle knew it, but even to her it was a wonder, for she had been with him for so little time that they had not been able to share many of its kind. Even if she had seen its like every day, it would still take her breath away.

She let out a sigh and squeezed his hand with affection. Then she sat up, schooling her features before slipping her hands from his. Before he could wonder what he had done wrong, she gave him a stern look and nodded at the box in his lap.

“Now, eat,” she commanded, though a smile was threatening at the corners of her mouth.

“Yes ma’am,” he said obediently, pressing his mouth closed to stop himself grinning.

Rumplestiltskin did his best to keep his eyes on his food. It was not long, however, before he found himself looking at her. Eventually her eyes drifted his way, and they caught each other looking.

They both grinned, and Belle managed not to choke on her burger for giggling, causing Rumplestiltskin to snort in response. They spent the rest of the night that way, teasing each other with looks and laughter.

It was not a bad date after all. 


End file.
